1. Field of the Invention
The application relates to a multi-layer label for affixing to a curved surface, particularly to a cylindrical surface, of an object, for example of a packaging compartment for day-to-day life demands or of a container designed for specialist uses. Cylindrical objects, especially circular-cylindrical objects, often have a label affixed to them. For this purpose, also labels are required that are composed of several layers and have a removable part which has to be subsequently separated from the overall label applied to the object and has to be affixed to another object.
In the pharmacy sector, for example, vials are used in which a liquid medicament or the like is stored, particularly for medicaments that are to be administered using syringes. For this purpose, it is not only the vial or ampoule that is to be provided with a label, but also the syringe to be used for the injection. In hospitals, particularly in emergency wards and intensive care units, mixing-up of the doses of medication to be given to specific patients must be avoided under all circumstances. This requires an identification of the ampoule and also of the injection syringes, specifically directly after the respective syringe has been filled. For this reason, the multi-layer label and the removable label part contain relevant information, for example the name of the active substance or the trade name of the medicament, the dose or concentration of the medicament, the manufacturer, the use-by date, etc. For subsequent identification of the filled syringe, at least some of this information is provided on the removable label part that is to be applied to the syringe. The label transferred to the syringe is subsequently placed in the hospital records.
Such safety measures are used not only for medicament packages intended for a single administration, but also for those intended for multiple administrations. In the latter case, the date and time of administration, the amount administered or the name of the physician or medical assistant also have to be recorded on the transferred label part. In emergency wards and intensive care units, manual procedures of this kind are carried out under pressure of time and performance. Moreover, medical personnel generally wear gloves, which makes it difficult to detach individual and generally small label parts. However, in other areas of use without time constraints or other treatment-related factors, it is also desirable to be able to separate a part of a label more easily and more quickly, in particular when wearing gloves.
2. The Prior Art
WO 99/21156 and EP 1276089 B1 disclose multi-layer labels which are designed to be dispensed onto curved surfaces and which have a support foil and several spare labels. The spare labels extend in the axial direction beyond the support foil but follow the upwardly continued, partially cylindrical surface of the dispensed support foil. Nonetheless, the spare label adheres to the support foil over a large surface area.